Here is one of many articles The Creativity
Institute has reviewed and reprinted on nurturing and boosting
creativity in children. Among the articles you'll find on this
site are those that demonstrate the importance of creative environments
at early ages and the power of the right educational toys. While
some of these articles are intended for adults, you'll see the relevance for the
same processes in children.
10 Ways To Boost Your Creativity
by Julie Plenty
Creativity is your birthright but can
often be hidden in the everyday. To facilitate your personal development
and self growth, here are some creativity tips you can use to
resurrect, refresh and enhance your creative faculties.
1. Look after yourself.
Sleep well/Eat well/meditate/do what you enjoy
and do it more often (if it is life enhancing!). Creativity is
reduced when your senses are dulled.
2. Do something different.
We do so much on auto - the route we take to
work, newspaper we read, TV programmes we routinely watch. Vary
one element of your regular routine for a while. If feasible,
take a different route to work, read a different newspaper (especially
one you would never read!).
3. Be curious about your world around you.
It always amazes me when people don't see what's
around them. See the area you live/work in as a tourist would.
How would you explore it if you were a tourist?
4. Read a book on something you previously
had no interest in.
...and see if you can create interest whilst
reading it. It is my belief that no topic is boring or uninteresting
if it is enthusiastically and creatively presented. You know what
you like - or you like what you know?
5. Do something childlike once in a while.
...and you don't have to have the children
there as an 'excuse' to do it. Sit and play on swings/draw/paint
'silly' pictures - have fun. Children are incredibly creative
and as adults we could learn a lot about how they view the world.
6. Create/prepare quiet time for yourself every
day.
Not to do anything (unless it relaxes you),
but just to clear and refresh your mind. We are human beings,
not doings. There are times when our crowded schedule and minds
don't allow space and time for the creative to be welcomed in.
Einstein liked to go sailing in the afternoons after working in
the morning. Okay, most of us don't have this opportunity, but
you get the point.
7. Ask 'what if' questions.
Just for fun and see where the answers take
you. What if that building could talk, what would it say, what
stories would it tell?
8. We often make assumptions.
...about the people we work with (especially
if we don't like them!) Try treating someone you don't particularly
like at work as if you liked them (yeah I know................:.)
What would you say, how would you act towards them?
9. Write and storyboard your life.
...as if it were a script you had to sell to
a film company.
10. Talk to people you routinely ignore or
dismiss.
Imagine their lives from their point of view,
they often have viewpoints which you may never have considered
before and .............................. carry a small notebook
with you to jot down new ideas / sensations / feelings as they
come to mind.
Do one, some or all of these and you'll soon
notice a rise in your creativity, personal development and self
growth.
About The Author
Julie Plenty is a Personal and Business
Coach, who helps writers, artists and photographers prosper in
their business by helping them build a strong personal foundation,
because they ARE their business. For more self growth and personal
development articles, and to sign up for her Life Design newsletter,
visit: http://www.self-help-personal-development.com.
MORE ON CHILD CREATIVITY
Make
your child
more creative for life.
Every child has creative
ability just waiting to be tapped. Even infants have budding creative
potential. The right educational toys can bring it out. and let
children enjoy the benefits of creative pursuits at many levels.
Infants,
toddlers,
preschoolers,
early
school age and older
school age children all delight in opportunities for creative
expression through colors, shapes and sounds.
At The Creativity Institute, we handpick each infant educational
toy, every creative plaything, each piece of furniture and every
toy musical instrument based on its potential for developing vital
creative resources in your child.
Toy
pianos, oversized
foam building blocks, puppet
theaters and puppet stages and people
and animal hand puppets, art
supplies and children's
easels, play
tents and more. The scale and durability of many of these
toys make them perfect for classrooms, homeschool,
day care centers and waiting rooms, too. The benefits of nurturing
creativity can be profound, offering children tools for success
in all endeavors athletic, artistic or academic. Let your baby
begin now.